Reader Challenge: What’s The Best Way To Upload A Private Video?
I have an old video from my university days of my initiation into a sports society that I need help uploading onto the internet, so that I can share it with a few friends.
The initiation took place on ‘Suicide Sunday‘, which is the Sunday after the end of the summer term at Cambridge University just before exam results are published, so the day consists of everyone trying to drink themselves to death.
Throughout the day there are a lot of parties, with the first one starting at around 9am, so you can imagine the state of Cambridge students on what is usually a very hot day….
Anyway, my initiation started at 8am in the morning and given that the members of my sports society were a bunch of 18-25ish rugby, football and hockey players, lets just say that our ceremony was ‘very creative’. So much in fact, that my initiation was filmed and turned into a documentary of which I was given a copy on VHS. The tape was actually sent to Channel 4 and they almost aired the tape as they were ’shocked’ what the ‘intelligent’ students at the UK’s top university really got up to! Thankfully, they didn’t.
I now want to upload the video (I’ve converted it to DVD) so that I can share it with a few select friends, but I want to do it in such a way that I can control access and distribution. For example, I don’t at some point want the video being circulated around the office by email, or even worse sent to my parents!
I don’t think password protecting the file is sufficient, as the password would just get circulated. I’m stumped, so I thought this would make a good reader challenge. Does anyone have a solution to my problem? The prize is you’ll be allowed to watch the video 
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Comment by Everton on 26 October 2007:
makes sense. But, I think you’ve mistaken me for someone technical!!! I have no idea how to write php!! No worries, I’ll find an afternoon to use Google to work out how to write this one file
Comment by Kline on 26 October 2007:
well you need to put the flv/swf in an area that cannot be accessed directly through a url (like below your httproot dir)
then you make a php file that checks for passwords existence in the DB, and if its there
remove the password from the DB
then pretty much echo the contents of the restricted access file
else tell em to piss off.
might need to set the header to the correct mime type..
thats the general gist of it.. get what im sayin?
Comment by Everton on 24 October 2007:
Ok, I’m going for single use password and streaming.
So, how do I set it up??
Comment by Kline on 24 October 2007:
roboknight is mostly correct. even with a 1 time use password and streaming, someone savvy (who would have to be one of your friends you sent access to) would be able to rip it with a program like fraps, which can also easily defeat any current video DRM solution, lol.
lol.. think of it like somone with a video camera recording your screen manually with their video camera.. super lo fi way of doing it, but yea.
I’m rather guessing you are just trying to disuade people from sharing it, rather than keep a national secret. one time passwords will ensure that the people you trust and want to see it will see it. chances are, even if they wanted to record it, they wouldn’t think to record it on first watching, and password would ahve expired by then.
but i think roboknight went a little overboard on worry… itunes videos are ’secure’ to a point, but can be broken, but its certainly not common knowledge how to do so..
i think single use password is more than enough security, unless you think it is of national importance or could ruin you for life.. lol. then safest way is to not show it.. if you just dont want your folks likely to ever see it, i wouldnt worry too much about better-than-the-movie-industry protection schemes.
Comment by roboknight on 24 October 2007:
PS: If you choose me to view the video, you can count on me to leak it :D. Just kidding. But seriously, I really don’t want to see the video.